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A review by annkitsch
Disclosure by Michael Crichton
4.0
okay I have many many thoughts on this book and some of the reviews it has received
“the women in this book are one dimensional and all seemingly painted with bad light”
- I sort of disagree with this. There are men and women acting equally monstrous in this book. Some of the women who stood out for being helpful and intelligent were Stephenie Kaplan, Louisa Fernandez, Mary Anne, Cindy and Betsy. So when I see this opinion, I feel it’s coming from a place that is because they just disagree with these women for supporting the male protagonist in the sexual harassment suit. Louisa was the first woman to actually fully believe and see where Tom was coming from. Kaplan was practically the most intelligent and the one who had been saving him all along.
They also have the argument that Meredith was portrayed too terribly and honestly, I don’t know what’s so hard to believe about that. She’s a white woman in a place of power who thinks empowerment is acting as bad as a man, duh.
In contradiction, it was mostly men who were unsympathetic to Tom. Most of them couldn’t even believe he’d reject s*x from a beautiful woman just like that. One even yelled at him for complaining about his harassment to the attorneys because it jeopardised a merger. One tells him straightaway he isn’t even a victim.
Okay, that is one thing I wanted to address.
My overall review of this book was that it was intriguing and thrilling. I finished it in practically two days, but it was more like a silent three day read— because initially, I was bored of the corporate jargon in the beginning. So if you’re someone who absolutely hates stories dealing with the corporate, this book might not be for you.
Another thing I want to say is while I’m happy a book like this exists and confronts the topic of a man’s right to also refuse s*x, it still lacks a more humane touch. Crichton clearly wanted to make this a good and engaging corporate thriller while also addressing the idea that men can be victims too.
The problem is the book loses itself so much to the idea of corporate discussions and betrayals that it essentially leaves out Tom from forming solidarity with anyone who’s a victim like him. Crichton could have ended the book with a more emotion based ending of Tom realising what most victims— whether they’re a woman or a man— go through in such tricky and capitalist areas of hierarchy.
Instead, the book sort of champions the idea that the world is too sensitive to see the places of grey. I agree to it some extent, but it really doesn’t do anything to have an epiphany in the story. Tom could’ve easily had a moment of reckoning and empathy for so many more people but all he feels is relief that it’s over in the end. It’s not necessarily adding onto the discussion of workplace harassment, more like deflecting it with the whole “oh woe to the political correctness of people these days!”
But I like Louisa’s monologue at the end of the novel. She’s a very balanced woman with great critical thinking skills.
The long and short of it— it’s an interesting story that’s hard to put down. The only thing I would change is the ending and by making Tom a lot more emotive outside of frustration and anger. I think if that ending was put less on the idea of arguing with women spreading awareness about harassment, a lot many people would feel okay to read this book. But otherwise, it’s pretty advanced for the time it comes from about the whole “men need immunity too from workplace harassment and male victims should be included in that discussion too”. If this book was written today, maybe it would’ve had Tom in the end supporting the MeToo movement and unifying with others.
“the women in this book are one dimensional and all seemingly painted with bad light”
- I sort of disagree with this. There are men and women acting equally monstrous in this book. Some of the women who stood out for being helpful and intelligent were Stephenie Kaplan, Louisa Fernandez, Mary Anne, Cindy and Betsy. So when I see this opinion, I feel it’s coming from a place that is because they just disagree with these women for supporting the male protagonist in the sexual harassment suit. Louisa was the first woman to actually fully believe and see where Tom was coming from. Kaplan was practically the most intelligent and the one who had been saving him all along.
They also have the argument that Meredith was portrayed too terribly and honestly, I don’t know what’s so hard to believe about that. She’s a white woman in a place of power who thinks empowerment is acting as bad as a man, duh.
In contradiction, it was mostly men who were unsympathetic to Tom. Most of them couldn’t even believe he’d reject s*x from a beautiful woman just like that. One even yelled at him for complaining about his harassment to the attorneys because it jeopardised a merger. One tells him straightaway he isn’t even a victim.
Okay, that is one thing I wanted to address.
My overall review of this book was that it was intriguing and thrilling. I finished it in practically two days, but it was more like a silent three day read— because initially, I was bored of the corporate jargon in the beginning. So if you’re someone who absolutely hates stories dealing with the corporate, this book might not be for you.
Another thing I want to say is while I’m happy a book like this exists and confronts the topic of a man’s right to also refuse s*x, it still lacks a more humane touch. Crichton clearly wanted to make this a good and engaging corporate thriller while also addressing the idea that men can be victims too.
The problem is the book loses itself so much to the idea of corporate discussions and betrayals that it essentially leaves out Tom from forming solidarity with anyone who’s a victim like him. Crichton could have ended the book with a more emotion based ending of Tom realising what most victims— whether they’re a woman or a man— go through in such tricky and capitalist areas of hierarchy.
Instead, the book sort of champions the idea that the world is too sensitive to see the places of grey. I agree to it some extent, but it really doesn’t do anything to have an epiphany in the story. Tom could’ve easily had a moment of reckoning and empathy for so many more people but all he feels is relief that it’s over in the end. It’s not necessarily adding onto the discussion of workplace harassment, more like deflecting it with the whole “oh woe to the political correctness of people these days!”
But I like Louisa’s monologue at the end of the novel. She’s a very balanced woman with great critical thinking skills.
The long and short of it— it’s an interesting story that’s hard to put down. The only thing I would change is the ending and by making Tom a lot more emotive outside of frustration and anger. I think if that ending was put less on the idea of arguing with women spreading awareness about harassment, a lot many people would feel okay to read this book. But otherwise, it’s pretty advanced for the time it comes from about the whole “men need immunity too from workplace harassment and male victims should be included in that discussion too”. If this book was written today, maybe it would’ve had Tom in the end supporting the MeToo movement and unifying with others.